Bruised but Not Broken

A Spark of Hope Standalone

By: Nicole Dykes

Narrated by: Stephen Dexter, Michael Dean

Ben

Spark of Hope: A bi-weekly trauma support group. This is my nightmare. When I think of a support group, I think of sad people sitting around talking about their feelings and nothing changing.

And yet, when my brother and his best friend, who happens to be a therapist, presented the idea of holding the meetings at my gym, I caved.

Because I, Benjamin Price, have always tried to rescue the people in my life. But I can’t. I’ve usually failed them.

Now, I’m hosting a trauma support group and desperately trying not to fall into my old habits—of attempting to save everyone.

And then, he walks in. Bruised. But not broken. No matter how exhausted he may feel, a strength in him calls to me.

And there’s no way I can ignore the need deep inside me to at least try.

Colby

I’m tired. I’m afraid. And I don’t want to go back. Not to the abusive relationship I told myself I was okay with for years.

But what am I supposed to do?

I have no real life skills. All my life, I’ve been told I’m pretty and that’s it. Then I walk into a gym, looking for a job, but I find so much more.

I don’t want to trust Ben. I don’t believe his help doesn’t come with a price. But what choice do I really have?

One thing’s for sure: neither of us are getting out of this intact. What we lose though, that’s anyone’s guess.

Bruised But Not Broken is set around a trauma support group and will, therefore, touch on extremely sensitive subjects. The author handles these topics with care and healing, but please heed this trigger warning should it apply to you.

©2022 Nicole Dykes (P)2022 Podium Audio

Doesn't try very hard, and Dexter doesn't help.

What starts as a premise with potential follows a most predictable path. A 34 year old man in a loveless marriage, and has only been with one woman discovers he is a gay-for-you guy who falls for a 25 year old victim of an abusive relationship. This book tries as hard to lay the groundwork for the next book as is does trying to keep this story moving along. Sure, there are a few sweet moments, but Dykes reuses actions over and over, one example? This gym/counseling center has two guys who get so lost in their thoughts they have to be called out on it. Over and over and over again. "Colby, where did you go?" "Ben, are you there?" Spoiler - it happens in the second book too,

The narration takes a hit with the presence of Stephen Dexter, a talent with a pleasant enough voice but who whines his breathy way through every book he reads. I nearly stopped listening to Sarina Bowen's The Roommate because he was so frustratingly whiny. Michael Dean is very capable, but in the first two books is cast as the brothers who are described as big, hot tempered, muscle heads. Dexter has the lower, richer voice and is instead cast as the younger, smaller guys leaving the higher tone Dean sounding very miscast. While Dexter is only at a 5 out of 10 on his whimper/whine scale, it is still a lot. He is sort of the Eeyore the donkey of the narration world. Big production fail that didn't help this book.

While I really find the gay for you premise the worst of the tropes, had Dykes pushed the story a bit, I could have overlooked it. I mean, Ben seems struck the moment he lays eyes on Colby, he could have begun to realize his broader sexuality, but nope, clings to straight. She does try to build a dark undercurrent with the brothers backstory, and it was a good start, it would have helped the story if it had been developed, instead of being a "you've been thought a lot too!". The story all goes out the window as she tries to balance all the side plots and character introductions. We have met the focus of books 2 and 3 in the first book - as well as 1/2 of book 5, and in the second book we meet the other half of book 5. How about we focus on the actual book at hand? I have read so many reviews where there is very serious criticism of the book but they still give it a five star rating. How can every book deserve five stars? You want to read smartly crafted series? Jaclyn Quinn has you covered with tight, smart, heartfelt stories. And even all of those aren't 5 star books. I feel generous giving this one a three.

I don't get into spoilers, so I have to refrain from the end of the book. What I found most frustrating is Dykes has many opportunities to really give this book some heft, instead there is a lot of "I don't want to push, I just want him, he is so young".

Recommendations? The first three titles were part of a sale and for $3 each, they're worth the read. I wouldn't use a credit for the others. And if there was another sale, I don't care enough even at $3.

switch the narrators and this would be 5 stars!

I just feel like been should have been Micheal Dean. Deep and growly. Would be 5 stars if the narrators were swapped!

Great srory and narrators

I'd read the book but was waiting for the audiobook to revisit the story that I already knew I liked. And the narrators are really great!

Good debut in the Spark of Hope series

I wasn't blown away by "Bruised but Not Broken"... but I felt it was a solid read. I think my issue is that although I have enjoyed listening to both Stephen Dexter and Michael Dean in other works...their voices didn't quite fit the characters of Ben and Colby to me so I had a difficult time of really connecting with them....but I did still feel enough of a spark of interest to possibly try other titles in the series.

3 stars - I won't listen again

Wonderful characters

The story was great with a beautiful relationship between MC’s. The only thing that threw me off a little was I felt like the narrators should have switched characters. There was a bit of an age gap and the narrator that voiced the younger character sounded older than the one that voiced the older character. Both authors were great, but at times I was confused thinking it was the wrong character speaking because I thought they sounded like they should be the other character if that makes sense.